1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to satellite television programming, and more particularly to an apparatus for programming a satellite television receiver and/or a video tape recorder (VTR).
2. Background Art
Satellite television programming has become widely available and has become a popular alternative to analog broadcast and cable services. The wide variety of programming available through digital satellite services renders it likely that programs will be shown at times that are not convenient for a viewer. This, in turn, results in the desirability of recording such programs for later viewing at a more convenient time.
Because satellite broadcast systems transmit digital data which cannot be directly used by NTSC standard television receivers, a decoder must be provided between the receiving dish and a user's television. This decoder takes the incoming data stream, demodulates and decodes the incoming data, and converts the data into analog form for use by a NTSC television receiver. Basic models of receivers and decoders, which are the most widely used, did not enable a user to command the satellite receiver to tune to a particular program at a certain time so that the program could be recorded (by a VTR) for viewing at a later time.
Advanced models of satellite receivers/decoders allow a user to program the receiver to record a program for later viewing. Such programmable receivers/decoders are commercially available from RCA, Sony, Toshiba and Uniden. In such receivers/decoders, the user selects the program to be recorded from an on-screen program guide and the receiver sends IR commands to a VTR to execute the recordings at the proper time. A user with a basic model receiver, however, would have to purchase and install a more expensive advanced receiver in order to use the programmable feature.
Thus, there remains a need for a unit which allows preprogrammed recording in basic model satellite receivers without the need to replace existing hardware.